FRISCO — Wildlife biologists in California say another gray wolf has likely wandered into the far northeastern corner of the state. Based on an evaluation of photos and paw print measurements, the animal may be a lone dispersing male looking for new territory to occupy.

FRISCO — A proposal to restructure the lawsuit-plagued recovery efforts for gray wolves may be gaining political traction, as 79 members of the U.S. House recently signed on to a letter supporting the plan to reclassify all wolves in the U.S. as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.

Conservation advocates see their request as a reasonable alternative to taking wolves completely off the endangered species list. A “threatened” status would enable the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to continue restoration efforts where needed, while giving states more flexibility in managing the predators. Continue reading “Some lawmakers back alternate wolf conservation plan”→

FRISCO — An endangered gray wolf may have wandered into northern Arizona, perhaps from as far away as Wyoming or Montana, and has been spotted on national forest lands north of the Grand Canyon for about the past three weeks.

SUMMIT COUNTY — California biologists say that gray wolves in their state qualify for protection under the California Endangered Species Act, even though only one wolf — an immigrant from Oregon — is known to live there now.

Responding to a petition from wildlife conservation advocates, the California Department of Fish and Game last week recommended the endangered species status to the state’s fish and game commission, which will vote on the issue in October.

California is grappling with the issue against an interesting backdrop. A lone wolf that wandered from Oregon continues to roam the wild northeastern quadrant of the state, and wildlife advocates say there’s room for more. At the same time, the federal government is considering removing wolves from the endangered species list on other parts of the country. Continue reading “California may give wolves endangered species status”→

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also studying eastern wolf population, recently determined to be a separate species

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The U.S. Fish and WildlifeService wants to delist wolves in the western Great Lakes region and is taking public comment through early July. In particular, the agency is interested in information on threats and impacts on wolves and their habitat, and any data on the taxonomy of wolves in the region and throughout the eastern United States. Click here to get more information on commenting.

Delisting wolves would put them back under management of state wildlife agencies. Those agencies have made it clear that they would drastically reduce wolf populations. Minnesota’s plan resurrects a version of the old bounty system by paying state-certified predator controllers $150 for each wolf killed. The Wisconsin plan seeks to reduce the state population by half to reach a target of 350 wolves. Continue reading “Wildlife: Feds propose de-listing Great Lakes wolves”→